I live in louisiana and im interested in learning real estate to buy and sell homes as a second job.

do you have to be part of a company to work as a real estate agent and is the program with donald trump and other seminars a legit way to learn real estate(they charge $1400) and do anyone know of any real estate school in louisiana or distance ed programs for real estate?

1. You have to be affiliated with a broker to be a RE agent. That usually means you have to be with a RE company unless you want to go whole hog and get your broker's license, which is NOT recommended if you're just starting out. There are tons of RE brokers/companies so the best way to pick is one closest to your home. That said, many realtors work partly or fully from their own homes. Others prefer the convenience of an office with supplies, computers, phones, etc. Note: Some companies like Re/Max operate on a very different basis, they pay you 100% commission but you have to pay to rent office space from them.

2. The Donald Trump and other programs are totally useless to anyone wanting to be a RE agent. Do not waste your money.

3. Why would you want to do a distance ed for your RE license? You have to be licensed by your state, so you want to take your courses and exam in your state. Every realty company has their own training program, it doesn't really matter which one you take but make sure it is through a legitimate company. You don't have to work for the company where you train, either. Once you pass the exam and get your license you can work at any brokerage.